Research Proposal on Impact of Urbanization on Environmental Degradation in Asian Developing Countries

This document presents the research proposal on Impact of Urbanization on Enviornmental Degradation

Introduction

Environmental degradation remains the most complex issue for developed countries and is no longer practically valid for unindustrialized countries. The world’s developed and unindustrialized countries are affected by high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Environmental destruction is caused by forest fires, and the main elements that affect environmental degradation are flooding in various countries. The above-listed activities cause to disrupt the infrastructure, natural capital, agricultural land, and most prominently precious lives of humans. These activities are of primary interest to environmental and economic experts. Environmental degradation is a global issue, and the terrorizations resulting from environmental quality degradation affect the entire globe, which is a major concern of states that release GHGs (Khan et al. 2019). Similarly, energy is one of the production factors and plays a critical role in the process of economic development and growth. Energy is also required for vast communities live in metropolitan areas and the manufacturing sector, where any unregulated energy use causes environmental degradation (Azam & Khan, 2016).

Since the 1960s, global economic and social growth has been based on the detrimental environmental and ecological effects of urbanization. Urbanization influences more than economic growth and wellbeing, schooling, and socialization of the population; in addition to the exploitation of natural resources, it has effects and involves environmental protection and remediation. An academic study in human-environment interactions has expanded in recent years various scholars have started turning their focus to methods that reconcile urbanization and environmental changes. The literature on the topic is mainly concerned with assessing the correlation between environmental indices and the urbanization rate by using quantitative models based on three questions (Li & Ma, 2014). 

The term urbanization refers to a phase in which large-scale labor forces go from an economy focused on agribusiness to a manufacturing economy based on urban growth. It appears that environmental pollution is expected to be poor at the initial stage of the urban growth process. Industrialization, automation, and accelerated urbanization will likely lead to environmental emissions, which is a thoughtful global environmental issue, but more detrimental to developing nations. Although a heavily polluting manufacturing economy transforms into a technology-based economy with successful growth, the degree of environmental emissions is condensed as well (Grossman & Krueger, 1995).

Urbanization has both positive and negative environmental consequences. The effect on the environment of urbanization varies with the level of development. A favorable association between urbanization and carbon emissions has been found in many studies (Cole & Neumayer, 2004; Shahbaz et al. 2014). Katircioğlu & Katircioğlu, (2018) noted that a key path to carbon dioxide emissions is conventional fuel energy use linked to urban development. The process of urbanization and electricity intensifies the environmental intensity of carbon emissions. As a consequence of higher living standards in urban life, overall energy use, and greenhouse emissions are positively associated with the urbanization process. Urban people also try to buy extremely energy-intensive goods. Modern urban lifestyles thus contribute to increased direct and indirect use of resources, contributing to global warming and climate change (Shukla, 1995). Urbanization is almost always the root of an economy's socio-economic growth. All nodes in the phase of economic growth, such as finance, communication, and transport, are situated in the cities. In contrast, urban life is always dynamic, and energy consumption in urban areas is significantly higher than in rural areas. Therefore, urban energy consumption has a direct impact on the quality of the environment, and urbanization is considered to be one of the leading elements in the estimation of future carbon emissions worldwide (Gasimli et al. 2019).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

For researchers, global warming is a hot topic since it is a primary global problem. It has been noted that one of the main causes of planetary heating is elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Compared to the service industry, the manufacturing sector is also blamed for emissions (Neumayer, 2003). The previous study has shown contradictory findings, indicating that urbanization, energy consumption, and emission have a dynamic relationship. Ehrhardt-Martinez et al. 2002), for example, found a curvilinear association between the rates of urbanization and deforestation. The effect of population growth on the usage and emissions of electricity is greater in developing countries than in developed countries (MacKellar et al. 1995). It remains uncertain, however, whether urbanization's effect on energy use and CO2 emissions differs over the various stages of growth or income. So that the present study attempts to endeavors the influence of urbanization in South Asian and East Asian countries. The findings of this study would be important for these countries to know how urbanization is affecting the environment.  

Significance of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of urbanization on environment degradation in Asian developing countries. The findings of this study will provide important implications to the policymakers how urbanization is influencing the environmental degradation in Asian developing countries so that based on the findings of the study policymakers may adopt policies to reduce the environmental degradation.